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Friday Facts: Alda, Chinnelle, Fake Moustaches

:: Celebrities that have spent more than 24 hours in the custody of the city’s police force: Paris Hilton, Cam’ron, Willie Nelson, Stephen Baldwin, Alan Alda

:: Planning a visit to the city and looking forward to doing a little shopping in the “Antiquities District” around the 108th Street and Calendar Avenue area? You might be surprised to find that the area actually gained its name from a sarcastic, regional reference to the number of low-income housing units made available to senior citizens in the area, and that there are no antique dealers in the neighborhood whatsoever.

:: Manhole covers in the northeastern borough of Royal Hills are made of a high-density, blue-tinted rubber, as per a condition of a sizable civic donation made in the 1965 will of beloved philanthropist Dr. Rory Kyle MacFarlane. The manhole covers are considered “quite nice” by many area residents.

:: Between 1921 and 1926, when “Chanel No. 5” first became popular internationally, 3 different cheap imitations were sold by local parfumeries: “Shanell #5,” “Chinnelle Number Fife,” and “China Know Fiver.”

Now, some unenforced ordinances still on the books:
:: It is illegal for two animals to mate within 100 yards of a tavern, school or place of worship. (1867)
:: It is illegal to wear a fake moustache in a public building. (1909)
:: A woman may not cut her hair without her husband’s permission. (1889)
:: Any person entering the city in an automobile must first contact the police. (1903)
:: It is illegal to eat in a restaurant that is on fire. (1881)
:: Grocers may not sell any pickle that will no longer bounce. (1849)
:: It is illegal for more than four unrelated persons to occupy the same dwelling. (The ‘Brothel Law’ – 1855)– D. Andrews, K. Church, R. Ingraham, J. Morris